“Callypso†is the first track on Jimmy Bletcher’s current project, Project DNA. The rock that issues forth from this introductory track has a definite pop edge, but one that is moderated by the inclusion of sizzling horns, splashy drums, and a production that is easily on par with any music that can be heard on radio. “Love Me Tonight†is a track that touches upon a number of different genres…
“Twisted Up†is a quaint little bit of laid-back rock. The track contains tidy guitars, funky bass lines, and utterly smooth vocals. While there are bits and pieces of eighties trappings present, the solo that is present here is definitely out of the Santana playbook. “Yesterday’s Coffee†has more of an electronic edge to it than “Twisted Upâ€, calling forth Hot Butter (“Popcornâ€), New Order, and a little bit of…
Foxy Shazam! Plays a brand of music that I in no way expected from their white-heavy, washed-out cover. This is a brand of punk mixed with the double-bass of a band much heavier (French Passion of Animality Opera). Tracks begin and end before a listener can blink, and the rapid-change style of the band is reminiscent of acts like System of a Down, Voltaire and Temper Temper. The SOAD comparison…
Can someone take a break during a 46 Short album? It seems like, especially given the opening of the disc (“Nothing Leftâ€) that individuals will keel over from a lack of oxygen. Luckily for them, the album is less than thirty-five minutes. “Nothing Left†is a track that shows 46 Short as a band that brings together The Casualties and Rancid, but in their own way. This is not a…
With a really hit or miss style of creating songs, The 4-Squares really seem if they are almost 2 bands. With either tracks that will blow one away or force people to turn of the disc, one almost wishes that the band was a little more consistent. Too many of these songs really blast through too quickly, and have almost nothing in substance, leaving a bad taste in one’s mouth.…
I’ve never really been inculcated into the cult of Fountains of Wayne, but this compilation is a good view into the band (even if none of these tracks have been on one of their proper releases). The band has really maintained a coherent and distinctive sound over the last decade, as the only thing that really divides tracks from the beginning of their career (such as Janice’s Party) with the…
It is a little hard to get into the type of music that For Those Lost start off “This is Our Fight†with. The first track is “I Smile At Your Terrorâ€, and it blends a very straight forward type of hardcore music with a set of guitar that would work better with either a sludge metal or a seventies metal band. The type of music that ultimately issues forth…
In the fall of 2007, around Apse’s 8th year as a band, Michael Gundlach and founding member Bobby relocated to the quiet shores of outer Cape Cod, Massachusetts and began living in virtual isolation. A few months into the move and for various reasons the 2 brooklyn based members of the band were no longer in the picture, leaving only Bobby, Michael and their faithful touring bass player / contributing…
After so many years of reviewing more popularly-oriented music, it seems as if a few more classical and jazz-oriented releases have been coming my way. It is a never a problem to review any of these, but I find myself more often without words than during any other review I’ve written. Still, Anat Fort is an Israeli-born pianist, and this marks the 8th year since the release of eir first…
The Format makes another strong step forward with the first track on this EP, “Janetâ€. The similarities to Rivers Cuomo and New Radicals are coupled with a solid bass line and a jangly guitar that will make residence in a listener’s brain for weeks. The inclusion of a synthesizer really imbues the track with a fullness that is unrivaled; everything just bursts in one’s ears, just like The Rocket Summer,…
